Radio program selector



1939- K. D CLAYSON RADIO PROGRAM SELECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. ll, 1937 ATTORNEYS Feb. 7, 1939. K D. CLAYSQN RADIO PROGRAM SELECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 11, 1937 .IIIIIKF:

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ATTORNEYS WITNE Feb. 7, 1939. K. D. CLAYSON 2,145,973

RADIO PROGRAM S ELECTOR Filed Oct. 11, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet -s TRANS FORMER INVENTOR WITNESS I ATTORN EYS Patented Feb. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application October 11,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to radio program selectors and has for an object to provide a simplified apparatus for automatically tuning in and tuning out selected programs during a twenty-four hour period.

A further object is to provide a device of this type including novel station selector discs havin switch contacts arranged in a plurality of annular series, each series corresponding to a respective station, there being plugs interchangeably received in the socket contacts to close circuits at the discs for controlling respective tuning circuits independently of the conventional tunin circuit of the set to tune in and tune out selected broadcasting stations at predetermined times.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this type which will be formed of a few strong simple and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture, which may be built into new sets in the course of manufacture or installed on old sets without extensive alterations, and which will not easily get out of order under severe conditions of service.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any or the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the clock face, tuning dial, and one of the two time se1ector discs.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. v

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the parts shown in Figure 2 and showing the clock dial making one revolution each 24 hours, annular series of stationary switch contacts arranged at fifteen minute intervals apart, and circuit closing arm carried by the dial.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary rear elevation of one of the time selector discs and showing the socket contacts electrically connected radially, this construction applying to both the A. M. hour disc and the P. M. hour disc.

Figure 5 is a'fragmentary rear elevation of the single station selector disc which is disposed between the time selector discs, and showing the socket contacts electrically connected concentrically.

1937, Serial No. 168,486

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the switch contact plugs.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical connections of the discs with tuning condensers separate from the conventional tuning condenser of the receiving set, these separate tuning condensers corresponding to the stations displayed by the station selector disc, this view also showing the apparatus for automatically cutting out the tuning condenser of the receiving set when the time arrives for a selected station to be automatically tuned in.

Figure 8 is a detail perspective view of another of the contact plugs for plugging in two programs at the same hour A. M. and P. M.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, l designates an electric clock although a mechanical clock may be employed if desired, the same being mounted in the front panel ll of a conventional receiving set.- The clock is provided with a dial l2 displaying the usual hour designating numerals and 15 minute indicating division marks. The clock dial is provided with a conventional tuning dial l3 displaying-wave length numerals. A tuning pointer I I is mounted on a shaft which may be housed within the arbors of the hour hand l and minute hand ii of the clock. A cable I! may be employed to connect the shaft with a conventional tuning knob H3 or the shaft may be otherwise actuated.

The clock is provided on the rear side with a dial l9 which is rotated one complete revolution each 24 hours and carries a resilient switch contact arm 20. The contact arm is swung in an orbit to engage stationary switch contact pins 2| arranged in an annular series concentric with the axis of rotation of the contact arm. The pins are arranged at minute intervals apart and in practice the contact arm will engage a pin for 15 minutes to close a selected circuit to a respective tuning condenser 22 shown diagrammatically in Figure '7 for receiving a broadcast program at a predetermined time. The arm engages the pins successively through a 24 hour period. 2

By now referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that three discs 23, 24 and 25, formed of insulating material, are fixed to the clock casing concentric with the a ds of rotation of the clock hands. The outermost discs 23 constitutes a time selector disc for the A. M. hours and the innermost disc 25 constitutes a time selector disc for the P. M. hours. The intermediate disc 24 constitutes, a station selector disc.

The time selector discs 23 and 25 are provided with concentrically arranged annular series of socket switch contacts 26 and 21 respectively.

Each-annular series contains 48 socket contacts,

plugs are not being used to form circuit closers,

as will be presently described.

As shown diagrammatically in Figure '7 the conductor wires for each radial row are respectively connected to a respective pin 2| on the disc l9 and for the sake of clearnessonly 24 circuit wires are shown corresponding to a 24 hour time period although it is to be understood that in practice there will be four times as many employed, corresponding to the 15 minute intervals in a 24 hour time period.

The station selector disc 24, as best shown in Figure 5, is provided with socket switch contacts 3| which are arranged in concentric annular series and align with the socket contacts of both the time selector discs 23 and 25, as best shown, in Figure 2. The sockets of each annular series,

'with the exception of the outermost, as best shown in Figure 4, are connected together concentrically by conductor wires 32. As illustrated, six annular series of sockets are shown, corresponding to six programs a listener may desire to hear at dififerent times, received for example from broadcasting stations A, B, C, D, E, and F.

Each annular series of sockets is connected by a conductor wire 33 to a respective tuning condenser 22 heretofore mentioned and shown diagrammatically in Figure 7. The separate tuning condensers 22 are arranged in the receiving set and are independent of the conventional tuning condenser 34, of the receiving set, that is, when the conventional tuning condenser is being used manually the separate tuning condensers are inactive. Should the set be receiving a program manually tuned in and theotime arrives for a station to be automatically tuned in, the conventional tuning condenser will be automatically cut out and the separate tuning condenser corresponding to the station the listener desires to hear at that time will be cut in as will presently be described. V

A plurality of switch contact plugs 30, heretofore mentioned, are provided for closing selected program circuits at the discs .23, 24 and 25. Each plug is in the nature of a split pin having the legs deformed to provide oppositely directed substantially V-shaped contact members 35. The pins pass freely into the sockets of all of the discs and according to the depth to which the pin is pushed the contact members 35 will connect the sockets of the station selector discs and one of the time selector discs. For example, as best shown in Figure 2, when a pin is pushed part way the sockets of the A. M. time selector disc and the station selector disc will be connected to close a circuit from the pins 2| to a respective separate tuning condenser 22. If the pin is pushed all the way in the sockets of the station selector disc and the P. M. time disc will be connected by the. contact members of the pin to closea circuit between one of the pins 2| and a respective separate tuning condenser 22.

A conductor wire 36 connects the disc l9 and spring contact arm 20 in series with the coil 31 of a relay 38 shown diagrammatically in Figure '7, the other end of the coil being connected by a wire 39 to a rectifier 40 of the receiving set. When no pins are held in the socket contacts of the time and station selector discs, the circuit through the relay coil is open and the conventional tuning condenser 34 may be used in the conventional manner to tune the set and the same is true of the conventional volume control 4|. However, when one of the pins is inserted in a place to close a circuit at a definite time to a predetermined tuning condenser 22in order to listen to a selected station at that time, current will flow through the relay coil 31 as soon as the contact arm 20 makes contact with the respective pin 2| at the predetermined time and the coil will be energized to move the relay armature and cut out the conventional tuning condenser 34 and conventional volume control 4|. The wiring of the electrical connections of the separate tuning condensers 22 and of the volume controls 42 associated with them, is a duplicate of the conventional wiring of the tuning condenser 34 and volume control 4| of the set. Thus two back contacts 43 of the relay are connected by wires 44 to the tuning condenser 22 corresponding to the A broadcasting station, these wires corresponding to the conventional wires 44 of the conventional tuning condenser 34. Back contacts 45 of the relay armature 38 are connected by wires 46 to the volume control 42 of said station A relay.

Current flows through a relay coil 31 simultaneous with current flowing through the relay coil 41, there being a relay coil 41 for each separate tuning condenser 22. The relay coil 31 is energized to pull down the relay armature 48 and close circuits at the back contacts 43 and 45' to connect their respective circuits to the tuning condenser 22 and the associated volume control 42.

In operation, switch contact plugs 30 are inserted in selected ones of the socket contacts of the time selector discs and station selector discs in the following manner. Suppose it is desired to receive a program from station A at 1:15 oclock P. M. A contact plug 30 is inserted, as shown in Figure 1, in the socket contact at the 1:15 designation indicated by the clock dial, and in the outermost annular series of station contacts' corresponding to broadcasting station A.

\ A contact plug so placed is indicated by the black circle in Figure 1. At the hour of 1:15 the spring contact arm 20 will ride into engagement with the pin 2| corresponding to the predetermined time of 1:15. Thereupon the coils of both relays 31 and 41 will be simultaneously energized to move the armatures and respectively cut out the conventional tuning condenser 34 and volume control 4| of the receiving set and close the circult to the tuning condenser 22 and volume control 42 corresponding to the broadcasting station' A. The program will thus be heard for a full fifteen minuteperiod at which time the spring contact arm 20 will snap off of said pin 2| and engage the next succeeding pin thus tuning out the program of station A.

Should it be desired to plug in two programs occurring at the same hour in the A. M. and P. M. hours a contact pin such as shown in Figure 8 is used. This plug is provided with two sets of V-shaped contact members 35 for entering the socket switch contacts of both time selector discs 23 and 25. When this pin is used,

for example, a 1:30 A. M. program and a 1:30

P. M. program can be obtained.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will'be fully understood without further explanation.

' What is claimed is: f

- 1. In a radio program selector, time controlle switch means comprising time and station'selector discs of which there is one of the former on opposite sides of the latter, and plug in circuit closers movable to bridge the station selector disc and either one of the time selector'discs.

2. In a radio program selector, a time clock, a v plurality of discs of insulating material. fixed to the time clock casing concentric with theaxis oi rotation of the clock hands, the outermost disc constituting a time selector disc for the A. M. hours, the innermost disc constituting a] time selector disc for the P M. hours, and the intermediate disc constituting a stationselector disc, concentrically arranged annular series of socket switch contacts carried by the time selector discs,

conductor wires disposedmadially on the time selector discs and connecting together the contacts of a respective radial row of contacts, a circular series of pins carried by and insulated from the clock and constituting circuit terminals, 8. time responsive circuit closing member adapted to engage the pins successively througha 24 hour period, conductor wires connecting "the conductor wires of said radial row ofsocket contacts with respective ones of said pins, socket switch contacts arranged in a concentric annular series on the station selectordisc and aligned with the socket contacts of both of the time selector discs, the socket contacts of each annular series being connected together electrically through the medium of a respective conductor wire, said series D. CLA YBON.

' of contacts torming circuit terminals, and plug- 

